Burn Bans

Oregon sets fire restrictions unit by unit - there is no single statewide stage, and on ODF-protected land what is restricted today depends on your district's currently declared fire danger level. FIRE SEASON HAS ENDED IN 5 ODF DISTRICTS: on ODF's official fire-danger layer (last edited October 17, 2026), 22 of its 63 mapped regulated-use areas are marked "Fire Season Not In Effect" - all 3 areas of the Northwest district, all 3 of West Oregon and all 7 of North Cascade from October 15, 2026, and all 7 areas of South Cascade and both areas of Western Lane from October 17, 2026 - so ODF's fire-season restrictions no longer apply there, though local fire-district, county and DEQ burning rules still do; check locally before you burn. Fire season is still in effect in the other 41 areas: 3 are at HIGH fire danger - Central Oregon District areas MH-1 and MH-4 (with Industrial Fire Precaution Level 2) and Walker Range (WR-1); 30 are at MODERATE - the rest of Central Oregon (FS-1, JD-1, JD-2, OC-1, WC-1 and WC-2), all of Southwest Oregon (Jackson and Josephine counties), Douglas Forest Protective Association (Industrial Fire Precaution Level 2), Northeast Oregon and Klamath-Lake; and 8 are at LOW - Coos Forest Protective Association (codes on ODF's map). Each ODF district issues a standing Regulated Closure Proclamation under ORS 477.535 to 477.550 that stays in force through fire season and scales with that level: at LOW (green) the regulated activities are allowed all day; at MODERATE (blue) until 1 p.m. and after 8 p.m.; at HIGH (yellow) until 10 a.m. and after 8 p.m.; at EXTREME (red) they are prohibited outright. Levels change through the season, so check your district on ODF's public fire restrictions map before you go. SOUTHWEST OREGON DISTRICT (Jackson and Josephine counties; Proclamation No. 01, effective May 15, 2026): fire danger is MODERATE (blue) and the Industrial Fire Precaution Level is Level 1. At moderate, open fires - campfires, charcoal fires, cooking fires and warming fires - are prohibited except at a designated campground, though portable cooking stoves and fire pits using liquefied or bottled fuel are still allowed in an area clear of flammable vegetation. Chainsaws (including string and metal-blade equipment), mowing dead or dried grass, cutting, grinding and welding of metal, and any other spark-emitting internal combustion engine are barred between 1 p.m. and 8 p.m.; outside those hours a chainsaw operator needs one shovel and an 8-ounce or larger fire extinguisher plus a one-hour fire watch after use, and the other activities need a cleared work site with a charged garden hose or a 2.5-pound or larger extinguisher. Mowing green lawns and the commercial culture and harvest of agricultural crops are exempt at any time. Motor vehicles, motorcycles and ATVs are allowed only on improved roads free of flammable vegetation, and off state highways, county roads and driveways you must carry one shovel and one gallon of water or a 2.5-pound or larger extinguisher. Fire season remains in effect: outdoor debris burning is prohibited, as are fireworks, exploding targets and tracer ammunition on or within one-eighth of a mile of ODF-protected forestland. Federal units set their own separate restrictions on their own schedule - as announced this summer, Central Oregon public lands (Deschutes and Ochoco National Forests, Crooked River National Grassland and the Prineville BLM District) moved to Stage 2 on July 25, 2026, banning open fires, wood stoves and charcoal even in developed campgrounds and prohibiting chainsaw use; the Umatilla National Forest went to Phase C on July 24; and BLM's Vale District issued emergency area closures on July 28 with still-open areas at Public Use Restriction Level 2. LawLert has not re-read those federal orders since, so confirm any federal unit directly before you travel.